We’ve been getting down and dirty with Apple’s awesome new iLife 09, and aside from using it to tag our mates’ faces, chop up videos and even record a few warblings, we’ve uncovered a few hidden secrets. Want in? Shuffle closer, we’ll spill all after the jump.
iPhoto works on animals
Apple is at pains to point out that iPhoto’s facial recognition abilities are not designed for use on animals, but it can’t hurt, and if your furry friend is distinctive enough, it appears to work too!
GarageBand lets you shut Sting up!
As well as teaching you how to play their songs, the artists in GarageBand’s Artist Lessons will also play along with you. The best bit, though, is that you can adjust which bits of the song you hear, from their instrument to the backing track and even their vocals. Fancy playing along with Sting, but can’t stand his voice? Now’s your chance to shut him up, all at the click of a mouse!
iWeb now works with non MobileMe sites
So you’ve made a cracking website in iWeb, but don’t fancy subscribing to MobileMe. In the past, iWeb has only let you dump its output to a folder, leaving you to shoehorn it onto a server using a separate FTP application. Now that’s all built in, so one click, and a few simple server details later, your site goes live on some non-Apple webspace.
iMovie includes simple cut to music
Making snappy videos to music is now a matter of tapping along to the beat. Start an iMovie project with a single music track. Play it, tap ‘M’ along with the beat to mark the track, and then dump all your raw movie clips or photos into the project. iMovie will automatically cut them to the beat of the song, and hey presto, an instantly edited video!
iPhoto knows where landmarks are
If you’ve taken a photo anywhere near a landmark, search for it in iPhoto by name. Apple has loaded the app with friendly names, rather than co-ordinates, so tapping in “Eiffel Tower” will narrow down the snaps you’ve taken there instantly, without you ever telling iPhoto the name of the landmark.
Peaceful recording in Garageband
If you’re recording a song or taking a music lesson in GarageBand you needn’t worry about being disturbed. Apple automatically disables your screensaver and standby settings, so you won’t be disturbed halfway through.
iWeb is on Facebook
Give iWeb your Facebook login details, and it will send a notification to your friends every time you publish your site. That means any updates you make will instantly be flagged to your contacts, and more shouting means more web traffic.
